Point mechanism for tramways and the like.



No. 837,312. PATENTED DEC. 4, 1906. E. LAWRENCE.

POINT MECHANISM FOR TRAMWAYS AND THE-LIKE. APPLICATION FILED NOV.23.1906.

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PATENTBD DEC. 4, 1906.

E. LAWRENCE.

POINT MECHANISM FOR TRAMWAYS AND THE LIKE.

APPLIOATION FILED NOV. 23. 1905.

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EDWIN LAWVRENCE, OF LEICESTER, ENGLAND.

POINT MECHANISM FOR TRAMWAYS AND THE LIKE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 4, 1906.

Application filed November 23, 1905- Serial No. 288,713.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, EDWIN LAWRENCE, a subject of the King of Great Britain, residing at 35 Humberstone road, Leicester, in the county of Leicester, England, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in or Relating to Point Mechanism for Tramways and the Like, of which the following is a specification.

This invention consists of improvements in or relating to point mechanism for tramways and the like, andis more especially, though not exclusively, applicable to electric tramways of the overhead-trolley system.

The object of the present invention is to place the movement of both the rail and overhead points completely under the control of the motorman or driver instead of such points being operated by a boy, as at the present time. In carrying out the present invention, however, the grooves or channels of the ordinary rails are employed, and levers or equivalents are arranged to project through slots in the sides of such grooves and are adapted to be engaged by suitable springcontrolled bolts lowered into said grooves by the motorman or driver while on the car. Such levers are connected by convenient means to the rail and overhead points, the said means being such that the oints may be moved in either direction at t e will of the motorman or driver.

The invention will be clearly understood by the following detailed description, reference being made to the accompanying drawings, wherein Figure 1 is a plan showing an arrangement of track mechanism constructed according to this invention. of the same, also showing the end view of a car. Fig. 3 is a side elevation, partly in section, of the car and rail as shovm in Fig. 2. Fig. 4 shows a modification in the formation of the operating end of the bolts. The lastnamed figure is drawn to a larger scale than the other figures.

The same reference characters designate like parts throughout the drawings.

Referring to the drawings, the usual movable points 1 of the rails 2 are connected, by means of pivot-pins 3, to a bar 4, the said bar being carried in a transverse conduit 5, formed in the track under the rails and located conveniently near the free ends of the points 1.

The usual center track or roadway 6 has a Fig. 2 is a transverse sectionbox or case 7 sunk therein, Figs. 1 and 2,

through the end of which box the bar 4 passes. A T-shaped lever 8 is mounted upon a pivot-pin 9, firmly attached to the bottom of the box 7, and a projecting stud or pin 10 on the bar 4 is arranged to work in a slot 11 in the end 12 of the said pivoted lever 8. Carried on fixed pins 13 in the wide end of the box 7 are triangular-shaped levers 14, connected at their ends 15 to the respective arms 16 of the lever 8 by pin and-slot means 17.

The opposite ends 18 of the triangular levers 14 are adapted to move in suitable slots 19, Figs. 1 and 3, in the sides of the rails 2, and, moreover, the said levers are so arranged as to alternately project through the said slots 19, as shown in Fig. 1, the end 18 of one lever 14 moving out as the end of the opposite lever is moved in, and it will be quite clear by the arrangement of levers 8 and 14, as shown in Fig. 1, that when the projecting end 18 of one of the said levers is moved in the direction of a car traveling toward the points 1 the latter will be simultaneously moved across.

The connection between the operating mechanism for moving the rail-points (as just described) and the overhead points consists, preferably, of a rod 20, connected at one end to one of the arms 16 of the lever 8 and at the opposite end to a pivoted quadrant 21, the said rod and quadrant being located in a suitable conduit 22, Figs. 1 and 2. A chain or cable 23 is connected to the usual operating-wire of the overhead points, (not shown,)

such chain or cable being moved by the quadrant 21, to which it is suitably attached, and a pulley 24 is located at the bottom of the side 'pole 25 to guide the said chain or cable up to the said pole.

The means operable from the car to move the levers 14, as previously described, consist of two spring-controlled bolts 26, which may be vert1cally carried in any convenient manner on the usual board 27 or similar fixed part of the car. The saidbolts are located, as shown in Fig. 2, immediately over the grooves of the rails 2 and are adapted to be lowered into said grooves by means of pivoted arms or levers 28, Figs. 2 and 3, operable by pedals 29 under the foot of the motorman or driver.

In order that the projecting ends 18 of the levers 14 shall not be enga ed by the flanges 30 of the car-wheels 31 as t e car passes, the

slots 19, through which such levers project, are located below the level of the bottom of the grooves in the rails 2. To enable the bolts 26, however, to descend sufliciently low to engage the said levers 14 to move the points, the groove-bottoms of the rails 2 are recessed at the part where the slots 19 are located, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3. From the fore oing description it will be obvious that as t e car is traveling the motorman or driver by depressing one of the pedals 29 causes one of the bolts 26 to enter the groove and recess of a rail 2, and as the car travels forward said bolt will engage with and move the projecting end 18 of a lever 14, and thus move the rail-points 1 simultaneously with the overhead points in such direction as may be desired.

In order to indicate to the driver what position the points are in when the car is approaching the latter, a semaphore 32 may be pivoted to the side pole 25, Fig. 2, such semaphore-arm being operated by a rod or cord 33, connected to the overhead operating chain or cord 23. The said semaphore 32 may be provided with a lamp and colored disks for use at night, and'such semaphore, as just described, will indicate to the driver whether it is necessary to operate the points 1 or not for the particular route in which the car is to travel.

In order to prevent damage to the car or track mechanism which is likely to be caused by stones or other bodies becoming jammed or wedged between the open points, the operating-bolts 26 on the car may be formed with a hinged or pivoted end 34, Fig. 4, which is sufficiently spring-controlled to normally engage and -move the levers 14, but which in the event of the points or mechanism becoming blocked will yield under the increased pressureand pass over the projecting end 18 of the lever, and thus obviate any damage.

' The boX 7 may be provided with a suitable coverlate 35, preferably carried on a level with the roadway, and, if desirable, the conduit 22 may also be-formed level with the road-surface and be covered in a similar manner. p

A modification of the invention which will be quite obvious may consist of the same operating mechanism as herein described, but in which the bolts 26 are adapted to be lowered into a separate groove to operate the levers 14, such groove being located immediately along the inside of the rails 2. It

will also be obvious that the mechanism as herein described may be equally well applied to tramways other than the kind referred to herein and also that the rail-point mechanism may be arranged withior-without connection to overhead points-of electric tramways.

What I claim then is 1. Mechanism for operating the points of tramways and the like comprising levers, connected with the rail-points and projecting into the grooves'of the rails, a rod andcord connecting said levers with the overhead points, bolts on the car adapted upon being depressed by the motorman or driver to en gage the projecting ends of said levers tosimultaneously move the said rail and overhead points in either direction at the will of the driver substantially as and for the purpose described.

2. Mechanism for operating the points of tramways and the like comprising abaroonnecting the points, a T-lever connected to said bar, pivoted levers connected to the arms of the T-lever and projecting into the grooves of the rails, a rod and cord connecting said pivoted levers with a semaphorearm and the overhead trolley-wire points, and bolts carried onthe car adapted to be lowered into either of said grooves by the driver to engage and move one of said projecting levers to simultaneouslyoperate the points, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

. EDWIN LAWRENCE.

Witnesses:

E. N. LEWIS, GEORGE LEsr-ER. 

